Ostapchuk reaches world-leading 19.55m in Shot Put in Mogilev

Mogilev, BelarusNadzeya Ostapchuk reached a world-leading 19.55m in the Shot Put at the Belarus Indoor Championships on Sunday (15). Another highlight of the Open indoor championships sponsored by the newspaper “Sportivnaya panorama” was Elena Ginko’s 45:09.06 performance in the 10 Km Race Walk.

Ostapchuk, the reigning Olympic bronze medallist and World silver medallist, surpassed Romanian Anca Heltne as the world leader indoors this season by a mere centimetre. Her best efforts came in the fifth and the sixth attempts in which the shot flew beyond 19.5m. The judges measured 19.55 and 19.50 respectively.

Ostapchuk was pleased with her performance.

“It’s my first start in the winter season and it was not so easy to tune on a high result,” she said. “I’m very glad that I managed. I hope to compete in New Zealand (Friday, 20-Feb) if I’ll receive my visa on time. Later I’ll probably take part in The European Throwing Cup.”

In the men’s Shot Put World and Olympic finalist Yury Bialou was the easy winner. Throwing 19.30m with his first attempt he was almost two metres ahead of the runner-up, 19-year-old Aliaksandr Kulyesha from Mogilev.

Ginko experienced worthy resistance in the10 Km Race Walk, from Hanna Drabenia and Zhanna Halaunia. But in the finish Ginko shrugged off the challengers. She reached the line nine seconds ahead of her nearest competitor Drabenia, with Halaunia third.

In men’s 10 Km Walk Ivan Trotski took the national title in 40:18.19, seven seconds clear of runner-up Andrei Stsepanchuk.

Also notable was the men’s 200m. Eighteen-year-old Alexey Linnik from the Minsk region produced a 21.86 dash to establisha national junior record.

In the men’s High Jump Artsiom Zaitsau scaled all heights through 2.24m with his first attempt to become the national indoor champion. Three athletes bettered 2.20m, including Niki Pali from Israel, but he wasn’t lucky enough to reach the podium. The runner-up was Siarhei Kabiak with Andrei Chubsa third, topping Pali on countback.